New Family Traditions

The Friday before Christmas we told the boys we were going on a date after school/work, but it was a surprise. We had the boys get dressed up which meant Eli work a pair of jeans, a button down shirt with his overall shorts on top. My little minion boy! And iZ of course puked all over his clothes at daycare and was wearing his spare outfit when I picked him up.

We pulled up to Zellas and got out of the van and heard jingle bells. Dave said "Eli, listen what is that noise?". Adam was the first to see the clip-clop trolley and yelled, "a one horse open sleigh!" Except it was a two horse sleigh.

Zellas is one of our favorite restaurants in town, but it's our date restaurant and the boys don't get to go with us very often once they outgrow the baby carseat basket! But last night it was not your typical Friday night- Santa was there their was live Christmas music and tables with crayons, markers and paper and it was specifically for families. The boys loved it and had fun! And after diner before dessert we went for a ride on the clip-clop trolley. There were blankets and I felt like our town was straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting as I listened to the jingling of the bells on the horses. White lights on all the buildings and shops open with Christmas shoppers and the Paint shop had just finished their paintings of snowmen.

After the restaurant we split up the boys and went shopping. I took Eli to Target and Dave, Isaac and Adam went to the dollar store. We decided brother/cousin presents from our boys would be purchased from the dollar store. Each boy needed to pick out 5 gifts and at the dollar store they could pick out whatever they wanted (where as at Target we have to steer them toward age appropriate things or maybe away from the most expensive thing in the row). Dave showed me everything last night and it was really cute what they picked!

Isaac's 6 month check up

Any day I get to leave work to hang out with this smiley baby is wonderful. He's just so happy lately!

He weighs 16 pounds 11 ounces (29th percentile), he grew and is back on a growth curve at 25.5" (6th percentile)/ His BMI was in the 72nd percentile and his head is the smallest of my boys at 17.5"  (78th percentile). Both Adam and Eli were similar size to iZ, so I'm not worried at all.

Our doctor asked if he was babbling- yes for sure, saying raspberries, da-da-da, and imitating brothers often. She also asked if he was rolling- again the answer was yes with a little pulling and pivoting to get what he wants. She asked if he is sitting and getting up on all fours and when I said yes she responded that he would probably be crawling by the time he is back for his nine month check up. Every time we catching him rocking on all fours we tell him to stop, that he's our baby and he's not allowed to start moving so early.

Happy Half Birthday Isaac

I can’t believe we are here already. Isaac is 6 months old and doing awesome. He started daycare a day before he turned 6 months old. Mom’s birthday present to little iZ was allowing him to co-sleep for the night. I tried to have him sleep in his crib, but he wasn’t having any of that, so nice and cozy in mom and dad’s bed.  Most nights iZ sleeps from 8 PM to 5 AM and then nurses and wakes up around 7 AM. Which is a great schedule for me know that I’m back at work.

My other gift to Isaac was pulling out and setting up the giant high chair. He looked pretty excited this morning when I strapped him in and gave him cheerios. I was even more surprised when I watched him pick up the cheerios one at a time and get them to his mouth with ease. He has two little bottom teeth now and he knows how to use them (although honestly he's only bit me once while feeding and it was more of a tiny nibble).

Isaac is rolling and pivoting and even drag/pulling himself to get what he wants. He's also working on sitting up. He likes solids and I must not be doing the best job with baby led weaning. I put food in front of him that he can pick up and put in his mouth, but when he starts squaking we help feed him. Bad mommy! 

 I absolutely love the way he communicates. I don't remember Adam or Eli being this communicative, it sounds like he's having involved conversations with who ever will listen sometimes. I really need to get it on video!

I had such a hard time choosing the pictures because so many big smiles. Adam and Eli helped out big time. They can get Isaac to smile just by looking at him. Isaac adores his big brothers. Both brothers like to hold little iZ and Adam has fed Isaac a bottle and solids! 

Trim the Tree

My mom and dad have came out to our house to trim the tree since Adam was born and they didn't want to miss Isaac's first Christmas either. We went to Adam's hockey practice and then we ate a festive ham and trimmed the tree.

Someone was really excited about the tree. Squealing, legs flailing and grabbing for the tree.

His brothers helped to explain this Christmas tree thing.

And my favorite out-take from the evening- Isaac got Adam and my mom with a puke bomb! Way to go iZ- doesn't he look proud?

Thanksgiving Tooth

My mom got bit at my aunts house by little iZ and yelled out in pain. Isaac's first tooth popped out on my favorite holiday the day after I went back to work. We had a nice gathering with my dad's family at my aunt Annie's house (which happens to only be 45 minutes away, the relative who lives the closest). Here's a picture of their matching puppy hats from auntie Shar-Shar. Super cute. I will have to work on getting a tooth picture.

Friday we for the most part avoided the Black Friday madness. Dave went to Target before noon and we all went as a family to Costco and Santaland on the 8th floor of Macy's downtown Minneapolis. When an elf asks if you want a family photo, the answer is always yes!

Today we stayed in Hutchinson and had a fairly low key day. Any day that I get a work out in and two cuddles with iZ has to be a great day. I even got out for some small business Saturday shopping at my favorite shops downtown.

iZ- Little i Big Z

I have two days left with my little Isaac before I go back to work again. It's hard to explain how that feels. I have really enjoyed being home for my family this fall with Adam starting kindergarten, Eli in preschool and a new baby in the house. I'm scared of the balls that will drop, but the truth is Isaac and his big brothers are my priority while I'm home so things get dropped and forgotten know.

But who is going to photograph these cute wrist rolls and sitting babe while I'm at work? I'm going to have to break out the camera more on the weekend! Because this cuteness needs to be captured!

Boo!

I started asking the boys about Halloween as soon as my second maternity leave started. It didn't take long for Eli to decide on a minon and Adam asked to be a transformer. Okay I can do transformer, possibly purchase a costume and then he added a twist- he wanted to be the random cheetah transformer toy he inherited from my brothers toy stash. So 100% homemade costume it would be. I think it turned out pretty great and I love that the boys helped me paint the black spots!

One of my favorites:pissed off penguin.

 Followed closely by passed out penguin. He really did like walking around with the other little people trick or treating. His smiles were so huge like he knew something awesome was going down for kids.

 Seriously mummified pigs in a blanket will become a necessity to Halloween dinner right along with the Jack-o-lantern pizza. Mummies get in my tummies:

not today

Adam suddenly remembered that he brought a little bag of candy home from his harvest party at school on Halloween. I told him he could have some of the candy if he shared with his brother Eli. He went to his with Eli following close behind to find his empty bag of candy on his dresser. He came out of his room yelling, "MOM, Eli ate all of my candy".

To witch Eli with wide spread arms responded, "not today, not today". As if a crime is only punishable immediately after it takes place. Oh, this child is wise beyond his years.

I was laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes and when I called Dave to share the story with him he couldn't understand my words between the laughing.

Isaac is 5 Months

Isaac is five months old. I actually forgot on Sunday to take his picture, but due to a snow day Adam was able to help me today. I had to move rooms and chairs again (this time the original rocker in the living room) due to lighting issues.

 Isaac has changed a lot in the last month. He's rolling onto his tummy, eating solids, working on sitting and spent a day at daycare. He's rolling and sleeping on his tummy so I had to stop swaddling him. Also he managed to roll himself over in the rock and play, so either I start strapping him in or it's time to give that up, too. He also hardly never stays on the large blanket I put him on in the living room he rolls and pulls himself to different toys and ultimately I find him off the blanket squawking in disagreement.

As for solids I really would like to do baby led weaning this time around with Isaac, but he wants to eat so bad that I've fed him some applesauce and other foods mashed up from my plate.

 Isaac reaches for everything now. I have to be careful when he sits with me at the table, because he's extra interested in food.

 And he usually gets what he reaches for.

Pumpkins

We pick them, we buy them, we cut them open and clean all the seeds and goop out and make a mess and last we make faces on them. It sounds like fun before the process is started, but yet it's not my favorite thing. At least Dave roasts the seeds for eating and I have a cute picture with my boys and their spooky jack-o-lanterns at the end of the long process.

A Day In The Life Of Me

Today on instagram was #onedayhh where you are supposed to document the small details of your life. Except today was not so ordinary for me. I got to chaperon Adam's first field trip to Nelson's Farm and I just didn't feel comfortable overgraming, so instead I will blog.

After David took the big two to daycare I had a little time at home with just Isaac, but not a lot of time, so I stuffed cloth diapers while breastfeeding Isaac. Afterwards a mini freak out that I couldn't possibly drop Isaac off for daycare for the first time and Brockway for grooming, but I just barely caught Adam's classroom before they left for the bus.

 The first thing Adam's class did at the farm was hold chicks and then gather and sort eggs. I personally loved the egg sorter machine and the blueish-green eggs.

 The inside of the silo was beautiful!

 I found a few minutes to sneak off for a pump session after learning all about cow milking. Perfect timing much?

 Picnic lunch outside at the farm.

Adam managed to find the largest pumpkin from the small pumpkin field for carving. I'm slightly sad that the stem broke off before we even got back on the wagon for they hay ride out of the field.

I flew from the elementary school to daycare to get my youngest two. Isaac did great at daycare and was so excited when middle brother let him hold the hockey stick.

I had a meal "planned", but frozen pizza matched me exhaustion level much better. Also: note witching hour and baby wearing- pretty much nailed it!

Declan joined us for an hour tonight. He's 16 months, refusing the high chair and using the fork like a pro. Where did baby Declan go?